The conventional internal combustion engine includes a number of cylinders. The cylinders are the central working parts of the engine, and each cylinder includes a chamber in which a piston linearly reciprocates by the combustion of gas within the chamber. The linear reciprocation of the pistons turns a crankshaft via a connecting frame (such as, a connecting rod).
The number of cylinders included in an engine may vary depending upon requirements. Typically, the higher the number cylinders included in an engine, the more powerful the engine. However, engines with a higher number of cylinders often consume more fuel than engines with a lower number of cylinders. It may not always be necessary to utilize all of the cylinders during the operation of the engine, such as during light to negative loads. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to cause some or all of the pistons within the cylinders to reciprocate or remain in a stationary position according to demand. This would result in substantial reduction of fuel required by the engine.
Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.